Zulkefli Mansor

E-cost estimation using expert judgment and COCOMO II

The accuracy and efficiency of cost estimation methodology for web-based application is very important for software development as it would be able to assist the management team to estimate the cost. Furthermore, it will ensure that the development of cost is within the planned budget and provides a fundamental motivation towards the development of web-based application project. The literature review reveals that COCOMO II provides accurate result because more variables are considered including reuse parameter. The parameter is one of the essential variables in estimating the cost in web-based application development. This research investigates the feasibility to combine and implement COCOMO II and expert judgment technique in a tool called WebCost. In estimating a cost, the tool considers all variables in COCOMO II and requires expert judgment to key-in the input of the variables such as project size, project type, cost adjustment factor and cost driven factor. Developed in JAVA, WebCost is proven able to estimate cost and generate its estimation result. The usability evaluation conducted had shown that WebCost is usable when compared with other tools, it has its own advantages. WebCost is evidence suitable for everyone especially the project managers, software practitioners or software engineering student in handling the cost estimation tasks.

Adaptation of usability principles in responsive web design technique for e-commerce development

A key feature of interface web development is based on a few key features; its usability and assurance that it will suit with its purpose, easy to be user friendly, effective and efficient. Most of the usability principles are widely adopting the non-responsive design in interface web development. However, new trends in interface web development are adopting responsive web design technique. The responsive web design technique is becoming more significance due to high demand of user friendlys interface in website. Responsive web design is defined as a set of techniques applied during the layout level of a project. Therefore, it allows a website to adapt itself to any device according to the width of screen due to various size of devices screen and resolution that lead to different size of layout of the same website. Therefore, it is important to further investigate the most appropriate usability principle that can be adopted in responsive web design for interface web development. This paper is aimed to analyse the most appropriate usability principles in responsive web design as a new trend in interface web development. This paper employed the content analysis method to analyze the data. The results revealed that there are five usability principles that are most appropriate in responsive web design: consistency, familiarity, flexibility, efficient feedback and aesthetically pleasing. The identified usability principles help to provide a website with greater look, consistent and tailored according to the different devices while browsing without zooming in and all pages will be suited to the screen size.

Success Factors in Cost Estimation for Software Development Project

Cost estimation process becomes a crucial factor in any software development project. There are many previous researches discussed the success factors that influence in software development project. This paper aimed to discuss factors that influences to the successful of cost estimation process in software development project. Literature survey is carried out from the past researches. Then, this paper presents the success factors that bring to the effectiveness of cost estimation in software development project. From the review, a conceptual model was developed to show the influence factors in cost estimation process. Realisation these factors will help software development communities contribute positively to the success of cost estimation process in software development project.

Understanding of Project Manager Competency in Agile Software Development Project: The Taxonomy

The current growth of agile software development project (ASDP) continues to be more significant in the software industry. Project managers have important role to play in ensuring success of project. The success of a project depends on the competency of the project manager. Realizing on the lack of research on the project manager competency in ASDP such skill, knowledge, personal attribute and behavior. This research had taken initiatives in introducing; skill, knowledge, personal attribute and behavior that is needed by a project manager in ASDP. This paper contributes the relevant theory by developing taxonomy of the agile project manager’s competency. Practitioners can use this taxonomy as a sensitizing device that will help project manager.

Current practices of software cost estimation technique in Malaysia context

Software cost estimation process is frequently debated by software development community for decades. In order to estimate the cost, numerous methods can be used such as an expert judgment, algorithmic model or parametric, top-down approach, price-to-win, bottom-up and many more. Questionnaire and literature survey were carried out in this study. The result from the survey shows that the expert judgment method, which is based on experience and past estimation histories, is commonly use to estimate cost in software development project while the result from the literature shows that COCOMO II provides accurate result because many variables are being considered including the reuse of parameter besides the expert judgment. As a conclusion, expert judgment and algorithmic model are widely used as methods in software cost estimation process and the process was done manually. The integration of these two methods helps in producing accurate result for cost estimation process.